A Colourful Fairy Tale – ‘Mirror Mirror’ Movie Review

Thanks to Roadshow Films, we had the chance to see Tarsem Singh‘s Mirror Mirror before its Australian cinematic release. This is our review of the film – but as usual – no matter what we say; we recommend that you still go to your local cinema and see the film because: There is no better critic than yourself!

Mirror Mirror is a re-imagination of the classic fairytale Snow White (Lily Collins), who is struggling to save her country from an evil queen (Julia Roberts) after being held captive inside the royal castle walls since the mysterious disappearance of the former king, her dad.

Snow White escapes the palace to see how her people is suffering under the tyranny of the queen, so she decides to look for the help of a Prince (Armie Hammer) with an army who obviously falls in love with her. The queen noticed this, putting a death sentence on Snow White and sends her to die in the forest where a legendary beast lives. Whilst there, she manages to run away and is rescued by seven dwarfs who joins her to reclaim her birthright

Tarsem Singh brings his version of Snow White in a very unique and clever way which magic, using colorful scenarios and clothes similar to that of his previous film ‘The Cell’. It is a soft comedy starring great casts to bring the legendary fairly tale back to the big screen, with Julia Roberts in a character far from her clichéd roles in romantic comedies as she is an arrogant and ambitious evil Queen this time who doesn`t want to age at any cost and will do anything for her own benefit which she plays perfectly.

On the other hand, Lily Collins shines as Snow White, not only for her stunning physical appearance which does look like the Disney animated version princess in 1937, she also plays the role amazingly, giving a quote of innocence and bravery to the character.

All the other characters also had glorious moments, with the seven dwarfs joining the story when the film is half way through which is a risky move that actually works well as you see the personalities of each one, including some familiar faces such as Martin Klebba (Mini Me in the Austin Powers movies) and Danny Woodburn (Kramer’s acting sidekick Mickey in the TV hit Seinfeld). Moreover, they are not only funny characters but also brave warriors, able to defeat a very funny and sometimes dumb Prince Alcott (Armie Hammer).

The simplicity of the plot is a winning factor that makes Mirror Mirror enjoyable as it makes you want to savor every single detail of the movie in stunning art direction with full of dreamy landscapes and mixed designs of costumes emulating animals. Furthermore, the special effects are well executed, not abusing the use of CGI characters or unnecessary 3D technology that could possibly ruin the film.

Perhaps the only flaw is a particular song performed by Lily Collins accompanied by dancing which looked all over the place, giving a very weird sensation to the viewer who probably wasn’t expecting it at all. Yet this is understandable if we remember the director’s background is Indian with a clear reference to typical Bollywood films.

Mirror Mirror is a great, positive surprise as it explores a funnier and more colorful way to remake the legend of Snow White, keeping childlike charms which make this fairytale so famous and well-loved. This film is an enchanting modern version highly recommended for the entire family and totally worthwhile to see.